Mood Going into the Game
Kings: 7-1-2 in their last 10, including three straight at home and four straight overall…
🎵 They come runnin’ just as fast as they can
‘Cause LA Kings Twitter’s crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man 🎵#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/5Tgvq8pVjJ— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 7, 2020
Minnesota: Winners of six straight on the road…
Good vibes in Cali.#mnwild pic.twitter.com/in3wuOqif9
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 7, 2020
The future is…now?
It’s all about developing an identity 👊@JimFox19 breaks down the @LAKings success in the past few games #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/M9gFoiivtm
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
71-Word Recap
After sleepwalking though most of the 2019-20 season the Los Angeles Kings have finally awakened from their slumber. The Minnesota Wild wasted a valuable opportunity to gain ground in the Western Conference wild-card race, falling flat to the Kings 7-3 at Staples Center on Saturday. Led by Dustin Brown (3G / 1A) and Anze Kopitar (1G / 2A), the suddenly surging black and white have won a season-high five straight games.
Game Notes
Three Stars of the Game—Dustin Brown (1st), Anze Kopitar (2nd), and Blake Lizotte (3rd)…Kings are 17-1-1 when leading after 20 minutes… Despite the loss, they remain one point back in the playoff race… Minnesota trails three teams (Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets) by one point for Wild Card 1… Cal Petersen made 25 saves… The Wild’s Alex Stalock made 28 saves… Stalock made his seventh straight start to tie his career high…. The Wild lost on the road for the first time since January 14th… Blake Lizotte’s goal was the first shorthander of his career… The Kings are 6-1-1 in their past eight home games (four straight wins)… Kevin Fiala of the Wild did not register a point, ending his career-long six game point streak… Kings Scratches: Jeff Carter and Joakim Ryan… Wild Scratches: Matt Bartkowski, Victor Rask, and Eric Staal…
Up Next: The Kings host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday at Staples Center at 7:30 PM PST.
Highlights
Kings 1. Wild 0.
5:16 / 1st Period: Anze Kopitar (21) from Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo (25)
Update after the first.#MINvsLAK pic.twitter.com/OLwa7UYLCm
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 7, 2020
Kings 1. Wild 1.
00:13 / 2nd Period: Marcus Foligno (11) from Mats Zuccarello (21)
Kings 2. Wild 1.
07:36 / 2nd Period: Blake Lizotte (6) from Adrian Kempe (20) Shorthanded
Kings 3. Wild 1.
08:29 / 2nd Period: Trevor Moore (6) Unassisted
Minnesota Wild go on a power play tied at 1 and someone find themselves down 2 and on the penalty kill when it’s over… pic.twitter.com/BN0lm2ngEw
— Phil White (@Pj_Whitey) March 7, 2020
After two.#MINvsLAK pic.twitter.com/YleAVDZaGF
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 7, 2020
Kings 4. Wild 1.
04:00 / 3rd Period: Dustin Brown (15) from Ben Hutton (10) and Anze Kopitar (40)
Fore 👏 check 👏 @DustinBrown23 puts another one in for the @LAKings#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/sVrqCxxGvs
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
Kings 4. Wild 2.
05:33 / 3rd Period: Jared Spurgeon (12) from Mats Zuccarello (22)
Kings 4. Wild 3.
15:35 / 3rd Period: Luke Kunin (15) from Jonas Brodin (26) and Jordan Greenway (20)
Kings 5. Wild 3.
17:47 / 3rd Period: Dustin Brown (16) from Alex Iafallo (26) and Drew Doughty (26)
Kings 6. Wild 3.
18:46 / 3rd Period: Dustin Brown (16) from Anze Kopitar (41)
6th Career Hat Trick
HATS OFF TO YOU, @DustinBrown23 🎩🎩🎩@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/7CuQKTBxoC
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
Kings 7. Wild 3.
19:00 / 3rd Period: Gabe Vilardi (2) from Kurtis MacDermid (5)
It’s a Vilardi Party 🎉@Gabe_Vilardi13 makes it 7-3@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/lW0c9jHq9A
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
Final: Kings 7. Wild 3.
That’s it for this one! Kings win 7-3 over the Minnesota Wild, their fifth straight win.
Last time they won five in a row? 2017, when they won 8 in a row (November 25 – December 9).
— Jewels from the Crown 💎👑 (@JFTC_Kings) March 7, 2020
Quotables
“He was unbelievable. His legs tonight – he was skating. He was the fastest guy on the ice in my opinion”@BLizotte46 chats about @DustinBrown23 after the big win@CarrlynBathe | @LAKings | #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/Jjv1pp8re9
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
“I was expecting a jazz hands celebration” 😅@DustinBrown23 shares his thoughts on @AnzeKopitar’s goal and today’s win@CarrlynBathe | @LAKings | #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/rVPnXaiCJG
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
“We’re finding some consistency, we’re doing some things right… We’re winning the right way – it means we’re moving the needle forward”
Coach Todd McLellan shares his thoughts on the @LAKings performance today#LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/F30ZqVzgR3
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 8, 2020
“Today we played hungry” 🦁@mattroy6 chats with @Patrick_ONeal and @jarretstoll after the win@LAKings | #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/icTy9HwUKx
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
“I’m trying to make the most of the opportunity… It’s an opportunity I’m not going to pass up… Whatever game I get I’m trying to win”@CalPetersen40 reflects on his performance and today’s win@CarrlynBathe | @LAKings | #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/P5mbSYFYkW
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 8, 2020
It was a big win for the @LAKings today 🙌@JimFox19 breaks down a few key plays in their performance#LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/pzryuLS4wZ
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
International Women’s Day
“I think we’re making a lot of progess. Obviously, there’s much work to do.” – Kim Davis, Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs pic.twitter.com/GKNyBKlWEB
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 7, 2020
We caught up with Blake Bolden on this week’s #LAKingsWeekly, who is the first African-American player to compete in the @NWHL, and the first African-American female professional scout in the @NHL for our very own @LAKings. pic.twitter.com/mxpTFIxvVu
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
“There’s a lot of little finesse things that we have that you may not see in the men’s game because we can’t hit, because we can’t play physical”@anniepank on what the men’s game can learn from women’s hockey@JimFox19 | @alex_faust | @LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/XmvJAm8UXw
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020
From @CraigCustance https://t.co/gdzXkEtgv1
— lisa dillman (@reallisa) March 7, 2020
More Heroes in the House
“Everything we had worked for and trained for and sacrificed came to fruition – we won the ultimate prize”
Mark Eruzione celebrates the 40th anniversary of the historic Miracle On Ice @Patrick_ONeal | @Jarretstoll | @LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/lCGo7dnnWI
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 7, 2020